I've trained more ML models than I've deployed. There's something comforting about the local loop— model.fit() ,  model.evaluate() , hitting 94% accuracy, then staring at the screen wondering, "Okay, how do I make this actually useful?" If you're stuck there right now, this guide will help. Note: I wrote this based on AWS documentation and standard SageMaker patterns. If you try it, drop a comment about what worked (or broke). What You Need Before Starting ...